Flash Butt Welding Integrated Member Carburizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method for manufacturing integrated members with different mechanical characteristics, such as starter-driven gears, involves unnecessary steps that increase manufacturing costs and can lead to cracks and deformities during welding due to high-temperature processes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves electric resistance welding of a first member with higher carbon content into a second member, followed by carburizing-quenching and tempering to form integrated members with specific mechanical characteristics, reducing manufacturing steps and suppressing defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electron beam welding is used to join shaft component and gear component, then the integrated member can be formed, but cracks and deformities occur due to high-temperature heating and rapid cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the welding method from electron beam welding to flash butt welding, which fundamentally alters the heating and cooling parameters. Flash butt welding uses rapid oscillating contact to generate heat at the interface, followed by immediate forging, avoiding the extreme temperature gradients that cause cracks. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by eliminating the harmful thermal effects while maintaining welding capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal field-based electron beam welding with a mechanical field-based flash butt welding process. The oscillating contact and forging actions create a mechanical mixing and bonding mechanism that avoids the harmful thermal cycles, thus improving reliability without causing cracks and deformities.
2Manufacturing precision
If preparatory carburized layer is formed and then removed before welding, then the shaft component can achieve desired mechanical characteristics, but manufacturing cost increases due to unnecessary steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary carburizing to the shaft component before welding, which is retained through the flash butt welding process. This preliminary action provides the desired mechanical characteristics (high surface hardness) while eliminating the need for subsequent removal steps and re-carburizing, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the carburizing process with the welding process by ensuring the preparatory carburized layer is preserved through flash butt welding. This consolidation eliminates separate steps for removing and re-forming carburized layers, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while achieving the desired mechanical characteristics.
3Strength
If high carbon content material is used for shaft component, then desired mechanical characteristics are achieved, but crack formation increases during high-temperature welding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the welding method to flash butt welding, which uses rapid oscillating contact and short-duration heating. This parameter change allows high carbon content materials to be welded without crack formation, as the brief thermal exposure prevents excessive carbon segregation and martensitic transformation that would cause cracking, while still achieving the desired shaft component hardness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces manufacturing costs and improves production yield by eliminating unnecessary steps and minimizing crack formation during welding, while achieving desired mechanical characteristics for the integrated members.
Implementation Method 1
the press-fit portion can be electrically energized to achieve electric resistance welding so as to integrate the first member and the second member
Implementation Method 2
a carburized layer forming step in which carburizing-quenching and tempering, or carbonitriding-quenching and tempering, can be performed on the integrated member obtained in the electric resistance welding step to form carburized layers
Implementation Method 3
carburizing-quenching and tempering
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated member can comprise different members each formed of materials having different mechanical characteristics. A method for manufacturing such an integrated member can comprise an electric resistance welding step in which the first member is press-fit into the second member and the press-fit portion can be electrically energized to achieve the electric resistance welding so as to integrate the first member and the second member. The method can further comprise a carburized layer forming step in which carburizing-quenching and tempering, or carbonitriding-quenching and tempering, is performed on the integrated member obtained in the electric resistance welding step to form carburized layers therein in accordance with the mechanical characteristics of the first member and the second member.